


Partners

by cakely



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Character Death, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-14 09:49:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2187171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cakely/pseuds/cakely
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Souji visits Yosuke back in Inaba and gets a call.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Partners

“The fog really hasn’t let up at all, has it?” Souji pulled his coat closer to himself, making his way slowly down the sidewalk with Yosuke trudging beside him. Though they was so close that their shoulders kept accidentally bumping, he couldn’t see his friend, the fog obscuring everything in sight save for the blurry outlines of the long closed family owned businesses. Through the haze of green, the shopping district was unrecognizable.

“Nah, not at all. If anything it’s gotten worse.” Yosuke heaved a sigh and then coughed out, grabbing Souji’s arm to stop him as he doubled over in a fit. Souji waited, and after Yosuke stopped his throaty, thick coughs he straightened, tears in his eyes. As they continued walking, he cleared his throat and continued, “I mean it’s supposed to be summer, but it feels more like fall. Teddie says that the other side is getting more dangerous too, not that he really ever talks to us anymore, and there’ve been these attacks all over the town.” Yosuke paused, his voice tight. “I think...some of the shadows are making it over.”

“To our side?” Souji shoved his gloved hands into his coat pockets, looking at his feet. Stomach lurching, he forced himself to stay collected. He had made his decision, found his truth- there was no point in trying to change that now. He couldn’t make excuses. Couldn’t try to change it. He had to live with it.

The smell of paper burning, the orange and yellow fire curling the edges of the letter black. That laugh, that fucking laugh. The feeling of being sick- and also, excited.

“Yeah. I can’t help feel like it’s our fault.” Yosuke sounded miserable and frustrated. Souji had kept contact with him, through sparse emails and phone calls, and each time Yosuke was in less of a good mood than the last. Beside him, his movements were slower than Souji’s, somewhat sluggish in form.

“I mean, everyone’s panicked. Some are just leaving town, some are never leaving their houses. Dammit!” Yosuke exclaimed suddenly, and Souji peered at him through the fog. From what he could make out, his face was screwed up in anger, his hands clenched into fists. “Why couldn’t we have just caught the killer?”

“Where’s Naoto?” Souji asked.

“She had to go back to the city. She... I think she almost figured it out. I just don’t know. Maybe I should try to convince my family to move back.” Yosuke shrugged then, pointing in the distance. “Hard to tell, but we’re already almost at my house. Do you want to play some video games?” Souji smiled and nodded, and Yosuke added, somewhat quietly, “Hey... I’m glad you’re back. I- we all kind of need you right now.”

 

 

-

 

The evening went fast, and quietly, a ghost compared to the evenings they’d spent before wasted on video games and lazing around. Like a missing tooth, Souji felt the hole where things had changed. He kept glancing at Yosuke, whose eyes were glazed over as he looked up at the screen, only occasionally letting out a remark of victory or defeat. No playful insults or cheering like there had been in the past.

It was then that he felt the vibration in his pocket, the staccato, specific ringtone he’d set for the one person whose calls he could not afford to miss.

Souji froze. Nearly dropping the controller, he set it down and stood up, quickly telling Yosuke, “I have to take this call” before stalking out of the room, ignoring his friend’s protests.

“Adachi,” he answered in a low voice, stepping into the washroom and closing the door behind him. He sat down on the toilet seat and ran a hand through his hair. “Is there something you need?”

“I heard you were back in Inaba. You know, I’m really offended you didn’t tell me,” Adachi drawled in a mock-hurt tone. It hadn’t take Souji long to get to know the real Adachi: not the bumbling detective who worked for his uncle, who he’d spent dinners chatting with while only catching small glimpses of a more cynical interior, but a spiteful, jealous, selfish, and petty man. A murderer.

Souji chose to ignore the jab, and said, “Are you the one letting the shadows through? They’re attacking people?”

“Huh? Where’d you hear that?” Souji heard Adachi shift, “I’m not letting anything

through. They’re coming over by themselves. Soon this whole town’s gonna go, you know? Then who knows? Maybe the whole world.” Adachi laughed lightly, almost as if he was picturing it in his head and it was the ideal outcome. Souji shivered.

“Anyway, who cares? Where are you?”

“I’m at Yosuke’s.” Souji answered, wondering if Yosuke was trying to listen in on his

conversation. No. He trusted him. The pit in his stomach tightened.

“The Junes kid? The one trailing you around, _hey partner, come look at me, partner_!” Adachi snorted, and then his tone darkened. “Why don’t you come over right now?”

Souji didn’t bother arguing, or trying to convince Adachi to just let him stay the night, to come over another time, tomorrow even. He couldn’t argue with Adachi, and not just because the detective held the perpetual upper hand, though that certainly changed the dynamics of control. It was easier, Souji thought, just to do what Adachi told him too. He was so tired of fighting.

“What do I say to Yosuke?” He asked.

“I don’t give a shit.” Adachi replied. “Hurry up and get over here.”

Souji knew how needy Adachi was, how temperamental he was when met with any resistance or when he didn’t get what he wanted. Souji ran his thumb along his lip, trying to think of an excuse to tell Yosuke. He couldn’t come up with anything that sounded like a remotely plausible reason to ditch his best friend on the night that he came back.

“Okay.” He answered finally, and he could practically hear Adachi smirk as he hung up the phone.

He came out of the bathroom slowly, slipping his cell into his pocket and looking down. Yosuke was waiting for him across the hall, peering out at Souji from his doorway both curiously and clearly irritated.

“Who was that?” he asked, his voice strained.

“I have to go,” Souji said simply, looking back up at Yosuke and finally meeting his gaze to watch the flicker of emotions run across his face. Surprise, hurt, anger, disgust even. _Disgust?_ The pit in his stomach grew five sizes, and Souji paled. Finally, Yosuke’s expression settled on a trembling attempt at stony determination. He looked like he was going to either cry or start screaming.

“You have to go?” Yosuke repeated. Souji pushed past him into his room to grab his coat. “Go where?”

Souji swiveled back to face Yosuke, who stood in the doorway, blocking Souji from leaving. His back was straight and he glared at Souji, though his hands shook, balled into fists, and he exuded an overwhelming hesitance. Souji felt like he’d completely forgotten how to swallow, saliva pooling in his mouth. He didn’t answer.

“Go _where_? To see _who_?” Yosuke pressed, stepping forward. “You’re just- you just get back, when we all need you, and you’re just gonna go run off? You don’t even have an excuse?” His voice was going high, a desperate keening, an angry whine. Souji couldn’t look. He averted his eyes, looking anywhere but at him. Sitting on Yosuke’s desk were his knives, just out in plain sight. Didn’t he worry about his parents seeing them?

Had things gotten so bad in the town that everyone was beginning to care about nothing?

No. Yosuke cared. Yosuke cared, his eyes starting to water, as he stared Souji down angrily.

“Just- just say it isn’t true, partner! Tell me you’re not- _that you’re not working with the killer!”_

His stomach dropped. Souji couldn’t feel his limbs. His whole body felt tingly, his ears ringing with Yosuke’s words. He barely registered his best friend standing in front of him, tears welling up, face red, begging Souji to change his mind.

Panic flooded him.

“What gave you that idea?” Souji asked him, trying to keep his own voice calm. “Dojima just wants to see me, that’s all. I’ll probably be back in less than an hour.”

He saw Yosuke swallow hopefully, his eyebrows raising and Souji watched as he blinked away tears. Then another pained look crossed his face, and he shook his head.

“No, Souji. I listened to your phone call, and- Naoto said, I didn’t want to believe her but- I _heard_ you! It’s Adachi, isn’t it? I heard you say his name. You...you helped him? Tell me you didn’t, Souji. Make me believe you, please. _Partner_.” Yosuke was shaking, pushing down sobs now, his voice hoarse. Souji was glad his parents weren’t home. He looked Yosuke in the eyes.

“I am not helping the murderer. _I did not help him._ Yosuke, you know me. I’m your best friend.” Souji felt like dirt. But even more, he was quickly becoming more and more terrified. Yosuke couldn’t know about Adachi. He couldn’t get caught now- they couldn’t. They were in it together, and he couldn’t let people know, or it would all be over.

Yosuke stopped completely, as if he had pressed a button and completely powered down. Then, a sob burst through, and he shook his head.

“I don’t believe you.” He said finally. Souji stared. A long, tense moment passed, where Yosuke cried, helplessly, face twisted in pain and anger, and Souji breathed, hoping time would stop completely. Finally, he pulled himself together for a reply.

“So...what are you going to do?” Souji asked.

“Maybe I should push you into the TV!” Yosuke yelled suddenly, causing Souji to jump. “After all I told you, all we did? After Saki! We all trusted you! I trusted you! A-are you admitting it then? Just TELL ME THE TRUTH! DID YOU OR DIDN’T YOU?!”

A pause. Then, Souji nodded.

Yosuke looked like he’d just been told his best friend had died. Probably similar, Souji thought to himself. Yosuke stepped back, eyes wide, stuttering and putting a hand on the doorframe. The tears had stopped due to shock, and the way he looked at Souji. The way he looked at him. Souji knew he was bad, wrong, filth. Souji knew- he was just as bad as Adachi, he was worse. A monster for what he'd done.

“I-I-I’m telling the others.” He said in a whisper, like he didn’t trust even his own voice anymore. “I’m telling. I’m telling everyone. I’m telling.”

He was so still now he could have been made of marble. Souji knew in that moment what he must do, and he hated himself for it. Hated himself and hated Adachi and hated what he was. Not just what he’d done, because that was a part of him now too and he would survive despite it. He’d made his choice to protect Adachi that day, to save him from a life alone, in prison. (To save Adachi, or save himself?) They had to survive. He couldn’t let them be separated now, to be alone. Protect Adachi. Protect them both.

Souji grabbed the knife from the desk and drove it through Yosuke’s stomach.

The sound Yosuke made was the worst part. It was a confused noise, no words, a sharp whine and gasp, like a dog getting hit that didn’t understand what was happening. He looked at the knife in his stomach, and at Souji, face grit in determination, in regret, and back down at his wound.

Blood began to pool quickly.

Yosuke sucked in a quick breath, trying to hold himself standing. Then his body collapsed into Souji’s, and Souji held him in his arms, lowering them both in a kneel. Yosuke was panting and whining on his shoulder, and Souji could feel his blood, hot and sticky, draining out over his hand.

“Why?” Yosuke asked, voice high and light. “Why would you do- how could you...” he seemed disoriented, and he leaned his head into the crook of Souji’s neck.

“You couldn’t- how could- partner, I-” Yosuke couldn’t string his sentence together, and the fragments came out disjointed and murmured into Souji’s ear. He blinked and squinted, his eyes focusing and defocusing.

“I’m so sorry, Yosuke. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.” Souji whispered, terrified, wrapping his arms around his friend and holding him in his arms as he died. He was going to be a murderer too, in just a few seconds. Souji pictured Yosuke’s parents coming home, seeing their son bled out in his own room. They’d always wonder- _did he do it to himself?_

Yosuke weakly tried to push away from Souji but Souji just tightened his grip, refusing to let him go.

“You did this to me.” Yosuke finally said, stringing together his final sentence, quiet and panicked in Souji’s ear. “I don’t want to die. I’m scared, Souji. You were-” Then he was gone.

Souji stayed there a long time, cradling Yosuke’s body. Finally, he pushed himself up to standing, closed his eyes, and then looked down at the corpse.

He had done what he’d had to.

 

\--

 

Souji slipped into Adachi’s apartment late, without knocking. Without looking away from the TV, Adachi chastised him from the couch.

“Hey, took you long enough. You and your boyfriend cuddling up before you decided to actually listen to me? Have you forgotten what I-” then Adachi looked over at Souji, holding a knife, covered in blood under his long coat.

“What did you do?” Adachi breathed. After an incredulous moment of silence, a smile grew across Adachi’s face, and a peel of shocked laughter erupted from his throat.

Later, as Adachi slept soundly on the couch, Souji spent three hours in the bathtub, scrubbing off the blood until he was raw.


End file.
